TME Pharma Awarded €2.4 Million German Federal Grant to Support NOX-A12 Phase 2 Trial in Brain Cancer

31 Oct 2024 08:10 CET

• The grant program run by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) supports SMEs working on innovative projects in biomedicine
• Non-dilutive support for planned phase 2 trial now totals over €7 million

Regulatory News:

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TME Pharma N.V. (Euronext Growth Paris: ALTME), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing novel therapies for treatment of cancer by targeting the tumor microenvironment (TME), announces that it is awarded a non-refundable grant of €2.4 million from the KMU-innovativ funding program run by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, BMBF).

The non-dilutive non-refundable funding will support TME Pharma’s planned Phase 2 randomized controlled study evaluating its lead asset, the CXCL12 inhibitor NOX-A12, for use in the treatment of aggressive adult brain cancer, glioblastoma. Funds will be disbursed after the relevant costs in the trial have been incurred. This grant complements other non-dilutive support worth approximately €5 million for study aspects that are out of the scope of the BMBF grant.

KMU-innovativ (“Innovative SMEs”) is the leading funding program of the BMBF specifically designed to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Germany in the realization of innovative projects. The NOX-A12 Phase 2 study met the objectives of the KMU-innovativ Biomedicine program to strengthen the innovative power of SMEs in medical biotechnology and to promote the development of drugs in Germany that lead to the cure, alleviation or prevention of diseases.

"We are pleased that the scientific review by experts at the BMBF recognized the potential of our lead asset in the difficult-to-treat indication of aggressive adult brain cancer and are very grateful to the BMBF for this significant grant of financial support to TME Pharma’s trial," said Aram Mangasarian, CEO of TME Pharma. "The award of this grant is based on the robust study design of our upcoming Phase 2 trial, underpinned by the substantial clinical results NOX-A12 has already achieved showing extraordinary potential as a therapy for glioblastoma. The fact that this funding is non-dilutive is positive news for our existing shareholders. This complements other non-dilutive support TME has secured for different aspects of the trial that will also be provided once the trial has started."

In the Phase 2 study design, approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the German regulator, glioblastoma patients will be treated in five different arms that will address questions of dosing and assess the contribution of the NOX-A12 and bevacizumab components to the overall efficacy of the combination therapy. TME Pharma will be able to optimize late phase development by selecting the best performing treatment arm against standard of care. The Phase 2 results will serve as a basis for discussions with regulatory authorities on the design of the further development strategy, up to market approval, and for discussions with potential partners, such as pharmaceutical companies.

About TME Pharma

TME Pharma is a clinical-stage company focused on developing novel therapies for treatment of the most aggressive cancers. The company’s oncology-focused pipeline is designed to act on the tumor microenvironment (TME) and the cancer immunity cycle by breaking tumor protection barriers against the immune system and blocking tumor repair. By neutralizing chemokines in the TME, TME Pharma’s approach works in combination with other forms of treatment to weaken tumor defenses and enable greater therapeutic impact. In the GLORIA Phase 1/2 clinical trial, TME Pharma is studying its lead drug candidate NOX-A12 in newly diagnosed brain cancer patients who will not benefit clinically from standard chemotherapy. TME Pharma has delivered top-line data from the NOX-A12 three dose-escalation cohorts combined with radiotherapy of the GLORIA clinical trial, observing consistent tumor reductions and objective tumor responses. Additionally, GLORIA expansion arms evaluate safety and efficacy of NOX-A12 in other combinations where the interim results from the triple combination of NOX-A12, radiotherapy and bevacizumab suggest even deeper and more durable responses, and improved survival. US FDA has approved the design of a randomized Phase 2 trial in glioblastoma and TME Pharma was awarded fast track designation by the FDA for NOX-A12 in combination with radiotherapy and bevacizumab for use in the treatment of the aggressive adult brain cancer, glioblastoma. NOX-A12 in combination with radiotherapy had also previously received orphan drug designation (ODD) for glioblastoma in the United States and glioma in Europe. TME Pharma has delivered final top-line data with encouraging overall survival and safety profile from its NOX-A12 combination trial with Keytruda® in metastatic colorectal and pancreatic cancer patients, which was published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer in October 2021. The company has entered in its second collaboration with MSD/Merck for its Phase 2 study, OPTIMUS, to further evaluate safety and efficacy of NOX-A12 in combination with Merck’s Keytruda® and two different chemotherapy regimens as second-line therapy in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. The design of the trial has been approved in France, Spain and the United States. The company’s second clinical-stage drug candidate, NOX-E36, is designed to target the innate immune system. TME Pharma is considering several solid tumors for further clinical development. Further information can be found at: www.tmepharma.com.

TME Pharma® and the TME Pharma logo are registered trademarks.

Keytruda® is a registered trademark of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.

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About the GLORIA Study

GLORIA (NCT04121455) is TME Pharma’s dose-escalation, Phase 1/2 study of NOX-A12 in combination with radiotherapy in first-line partially resected or unresected glioblastoma (brain cancer) patients with unmethylated MGMT promoter (resistant to standard chemotherapy). GLORIA further evaluates safety and efficacy of NOX-A12 in the expansion arm in which NOX-A12 is combined with radiotherapy and bevacizumab.

About the OPTIMUS Study

OPTIMUS (NCT04901741) is TME Pharma’s planned open-label two-arm Phase 2 study of NOX-A12 combined with pembrolizumab and nanoliposomal irinotecan/5-FU/leucovorin or gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel in microsatellite-stable metastatic pancreatic cancer patients.

Disclaimer

Translations of any press release into languages other than English are intended solely as a convenience to the non-English-reading audience. The company has attempted to provide an accurate translation of the original text in English, but due to the nuances in translating into another language, slight differences may exist. This press release includes certain disclosures that contain "forward-looking statements.” Forward-looking statements are based on TME Pharma’s current expectations and are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include, but are not limited to, the risks inherent in oncology drug development, including clinical trials and the timing of and TME Pharma’s ability to obtain regulatory approvals for NOX-A12 as well as any other drug candidates. Forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are made as of this date, and TME Pharma undertakes no duty to update such information except as required under applicable law.

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TME Pharma N.V.
Aram Mangasarian, Ph.D., CEO
Tel. +49 (0) 30 16637082 0
investors@tmepharma.com

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